Corydon, Iowa, April 18 2012: The clinical laboratory professional is a key member of today’s health care team. Laboratory professionals have the skills to unlock important medical information that is pivotal to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. April 22-28 is dedicated as National Medical Laboratory Professionals week and a time to recognize all those who work in this unique and vitally important field.
Under the direction of Karen Richardson, MT, Laboratory Director, the exceptional Wayne County Hospital (WCH) Laboratory team includes; Sheila Hoch, MT, Tommy Jessen, B.S., Chemistry, Pam Messersmith, MLT, Lee Peck, Patient Services Coordinator, Shonna Smith, Outpatient Services Coordinator and Megan Werts, MLT. “We are extremely fortunate to have such a highly skilled, dedicated team caring for our patients. Together they have over 40 years of combined experience.” commented, Daren Relph, CEO.
Every day, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers depend on laboratory professionals to perform tests on blood and other body fluids, interpret the results, and help provide a complete picture of a patient’s health. Using modern biomedical equipment and complicated analysis, laboratorians can detect the presence of cancer, identify infectious viruses and bacteria, and measure glucose, cholesterol, or drug levels in blood. Up to 70% of medical decisions are based on information obtained in the laboratory. Without this precise and valuable information, medicine would simply become guesswork.
Laboratory professionals often work in hospitals, physician offices, or private clinical laboratories, performing laboratory tests and monitoring the quality of their results. Others are employed by university or industrial research laboratories to seek solutions for medicine’s many unanswered questions. And these professionals are increasingly found outside the traditional laboratory, participating in community health activities, conducting environmental testing, or serving in the Peace Corps.
For more information on laboratory careers check out the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science at www.ascls.org. For information on WCH Laboratory services contact Karen Richardson, Director, at 641-872-2260.